All Grown Up
by Emmaline-Falling
Summary: Rachel is now 21 years old, a second year medical student, and has a full social life. But her best friend, Kayley gets sick and brings forth things from her mom's past that she couldn't possibly imagine. Set after Season 7 Finale, Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

"Don't come back!" She yelled through tears as a little girl clung to her lower leg. Her world crumbled around her, her sister standing next to her and her "date" staring with his jaw in a weird position. She led her daughter to a wall and hugged her close, putting the girl's little head beneath her own.

"Mommy…" The little girl whispered. The sister started sobbing as well and leaned onto her husband who was calling 911. Her date was just standing there dumbfounded. "What happened?"

"Nothing Rachel, forget about it." Cuddy kissed her baby's head and held her closer. Wilson walked up behind the car and looked at them, shocked himself. _What did House just do?_ He had just driven his car into Cuddy's dining room! Cuddy looked up at Wilson with tears in her eyes.

The police arrived, taping off the area and helping the victims out of the house safely and over to the ambulances to get checked out. Everyone was fine, expect Wilson had a fractured Radius in his right arm. He watched from afar with little Rachel next to him as the police talked to Cuddy and could faintly make out what they were saying. It was the normal stuff, were there any threats, was there a fight, then something happened.

"Are you asking me to file charges?" She asked the man kneeled before her. "Give me the paperwork. If Greg House steps foot in my hospital again, comes anywhere near me, I want him thrown in jail."

~XxXxXxX~

_I can't believe this._ She thought, rolling her eyes. She plugged in her iPod and cranked up the music. _When did she start thinking she could control my life? Ugh. This isn't what I bargained for when I came back._ She sat down on a chair and curled her legs under herself, leaning her head on the back of it and closed her eyes. _Sometimes I wish I knew what made her so crazy. It couldn't be her job, she's had it for years. Is it the fact that she isn't married? _Rachel sighed, opening her eyes and looking at her mom's empty desk. She stood, inching over to it like it was an animal ready to kill. She touched the smooth wood lightly with her fingertips, rounding it and going to sit down in the leather chair behind. _No wonder she wears those heels, she could slide off this thing. _She pulled the chair to the desk and turned on the computer. _Wow, this is a sweet setup. _Rachel grinned, clicking around on her mom's computer. She pulled up pictures and articles, laughing and spying.

"Cuddy?" Wilson asked as he slid into the office. His hair was slightly graying but he still looked pretty good for his age. "Rachel, what're you doing?"

"Spying on my mom." She smiled at him, standing and pushing the chair back.

With a smile faintly seen on his face he said, "You look your mom."

Rachel raised an eyebrow and walked around to the other side of the desk. "Wilson, you know I'm adopted." He shrugged, looking behind him where the clinic still stood then back at the 21 year old girl staring at him.

"We should get out of here before your mom gets back."

"You should." She corrected. "I can be in here if I want."

"Yes you can, but you have places to go." He reminded her.

She thought for a second than remembered what he was talking about. "Shoot!" She cried, running to grab her sack and then quickly hugged Wilson before running out into the clinic.

"Hi Rachel!" Megan, a friendly nurse, called when she saw her. Rachel waved at her quickly before she pushed open the clinic doors and ran to the elevator, catching it before it closed. _I should've taken the stairs. _She thought restlessly as she stood in the crowded elevator. _3… 4… 5… Get to seven already! _The light dinged floor seven and the doors slid open, Rachel being the first one out and into the hallway.

"Hey Alex!" She said as she slid past the nurse station and towards room 716. "Kayley?" Rachel asked as she slid open the door.

"Whadda ya want?" Came a fake nasally voice from behind the curtain.

Rachel grinned and called back in a nasally voice, "Hey lady can I watch your windows?" There was a fit of giggles from behind the curtain and Rachel walked over to her, sitting on the edge of her best friend's hospital bed.

"N-no." She managed to choke out between giggles. Her brown bangs fell into her face and she rocked her head back and forth as she laughed. Rachel started laughing herself, watching her friend technically roll around on her bed was too much.

When she had finally stopped laughing, she looked at her friend and put her hand on her leg. "How're you doing?" She asked, sending her friend a pitying look.

Kayley shook her head and pointed accusingly at her friend. "Don't you dare look at me like that!" Rachel looked down and smiled. Even though Kayley had become sick she didn't change at all, that was the only reason Rachel came back to see her mom. They had a fight 2 years ago about what major Rachel should have in college, Rachel wanted to go into medicine like her mom but Cuddy refused. Rachel ended up doing what she wanted anyway.

Rachel reached behind her and grabbed Kayley's chart. "They're ordering you an MRI…" Rachel eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Sure, she was a second year med student, but she didn't know everything.

"They said something about cists in my liver." Kayley murmured as she leaned back and closed her eyes. _She's in pain, _Rachel thought sullenly, _she shouldn't have to be in pain._

Rachel jumped up, startling Kayley. "I'm going to go ask the doctor to increase your morphine." She said decisively and ran out of the room before she could stop her. She walked over to the nurse's station and, leaning on the counter, she asked, "Is Dr. Foreman in his office?" The nurse looked at her annoyed and nodded. "Great!" Rachel smiled at her and called the elevator. _She's just stressed. She doesn't mean to be a jerk._ Rachel sighed and entered the sliding elevator and clicked button 5. _Now time to face the Foremanator. _Rachel giggled quietly at her own nickname for him. She had always thought him to be a stiff, boring man. The doors slipped open and she came face-to-face with a man she had never met before, but he looked so familiar, she just couldn't put her finger on it. She walked out of the elevator but couldn't help but stare at him as he limped onto the thing and turned towards her. Where had she seen him before? He just looked back at her with a bit of a sad face, then the elevator the blocked him.

"That was weird…" Rachel said quietly as she backed into Foreman's spacious office.

"What?" He asked, eyeing her from above his book.

Rachel flipped around and looked down with a slight tint on her cheeks. "Nothing, doctor." She shook off the blush and straightened herself. "Kayley needs a higher dose of morphine, the pain is getting worse."

Foreman closed his book and set it on the clear, glass desk. Rachel could swear, most of the stuff in this place was glass. "Her morphine is maxed out Rachel, it can't go any higher without some risks." He looked annoyed, he had only taken this case as a favor to Cuddy, he had never planned to have to deal with a med student trying to protect her friend.

"Isn't there something you can do?" Rachel asked, fiddling with her hands.

Foreman sighed, "I'll ask if they can push up her MRI."

"Thank you doctor." Rachel smiled fakely and then ran out the room. She didn't like being alone in a room with that man.

"Hey Rachel, what're you doing down here?" Wilson asked as he came out of his office, which was right next door.

"I was just asking Dr. Foreman a couple of questions about Kayley." Rachel said, skipping towards the elevator and pressing the down button. "Now I'm going to get her an ice cream, wanna tag along?"

"Wish I could, I have a patient." He shrugged.

"Ahh, the busy life of a doctor." Rachel teased.

"Get ready for it." He said with a smile as he pointed the file in his hand at her. The elevator came and Rachel quickly made it down to the cafeteria without incident.

"What can I get you?" The cashier asked happily.

"Two ice cream's." _That girl sure is perky for a cafeteria worker, they usually are all grumpy. _Rachel accepted the ice creams and handed her a five dollar bill. She ripped the paper off one of them and bit into the creamy dessert.

"Your change!" The girl called and handed it to Rachel, which she gladly took and headed to the stairs. She was at the third floor when she heard and strange noise from the floor above.

"Hello?" She called, inching up the stairs. She found a little bird near a window on the ground, it had been trying escape. "Aww…" Rachel slid the window open and the bird lifted itself and flew out the window, but it fell as soon as it was out. Rachel turned and kept walking up the stairs, feeling a bit sad. She made it to Kayley's room but saw her leaning forward with her hand pressing her chest. She was breathing heavily and her chest barely rose.

"Help…" She whispered.

"Lean back." She said calmly and pushed the bed out from near the wall and lowered the back. "Someone get in here!" She yelled into the hallway and pushed the Emergency Nurse Button. A couple of nurses and a doctor flew in, pushing Rachel out of the way and getting to work.

"Her throat collapsed." The doctor spat, and Rachel was pulled out of the room by a stern looking nurse.

"Please, help her." Rachel whispered and stared into the room of her life to be.

Cuddy walked over briskly and looked into the room then at her daughter. "What happened?" She asked, surprised.

"Her throat collapsed, they are trying to get her airway open." Rachel said sadly. Her mom looked at her with worry then back into the room where the group was working easily to get her breathing again. _Is this really the life I want to live?_ Rachel bit her lip. _I need some answers._

~XxXxXxX~

**Welcome to my new story! I don't have an update plan yet so I don't know when the next will be up.**

**I also know that some information was changed, like Rachel was at Cuddy's mom's house when House crashed the car into her dining room, but it's better for the story if she was actually there. Sorry if you don't like changing real information for the purpose but I promise that's the only time it will happen in the story.**

**This is also a while later, about 15 years after the "incident." So I assume Foreman would be running diagnostics, Chase and Taub would be somewhere in surgery, Thirteen would be dead or near death, Cameron would still be gone, and Masters would be a pediatric something or other, or maybe not in the story at all. (I never liked Masters.) So expect older people to be in the story.**

**I don't know exactly what is going to happen in the story, so I can't set a real rating so it may change.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to House M.D., any of its cast, or Universal Studios.**


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell is going on?" Kayley asked the young man angrily, while I held her down. He was one of Foreman's goons and didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing, which is why I say was. He won't last much longer under Foreman. Kicking and pulling at me she screamed, "What's wrong with me?"

"Kayley!" I screamed with a trace of tears in my eyes, "Calm down or you'll bleed out." Kayley looked at me with fire in her eyes, she wanted to keep screaming at him until he gave her an answer. But when she saw how upset I was she seemed to collapse against the bed.

"Get out." She said to the young doctor, who ran out of the room as fast as he could.

"I'm going to see Foreman. Please stay calm," I said, getting up and walking out into the hallway. I saw him looking over the chart with his goons, 2 men and 1 woman, stood around him, throwing out ideas that he would only reject. "What the hell are you doing?" I yelled, stomping up to him.

"I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with your little friend." He rolled his eyes.

"You're not doing a very good job at it!" I yelled. I saw my mom coming to stop this so I didn't have a lot of time. "She's dying and you don't even seem angry, you don't look like you're doing your job!" I felt a wet drop on my cheek but I could care less, everyone was staring at me yelling anyway.

"Rachel!" My mom asked sternly, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from him. "What are you doing?" She asked me in a hushed tone.

"She's dying!" I angrily whispered back, and as if on cue the group in front of us all looked down at their suddenly loud beepers and we all looked at Kayley's room. "Kayley…" The doctors ran into the room while my mom held me back. "Mom! I need to see if she's okay!" I exclaimed.

"No, Rachel. Let the doctors handle it!" Man, when did she become stern mom.

"How do you know they can handle it? How do you know they can figure out what's wrong?" I yelled, not even realizing that I had been doubting Dr. Foreman and his team, that I didn't believe in them. But mom didn't seem to even have an answer, her mouth was in a tight line and her eyes grew to the size of the nickels.

"I-I," I can't believe it, my MOTHER is speechless. This Dean of Medicine, who has had to deal with all kinds of crap from this hospital for who knows how long, doesn't even believe in her highly famous department.

"Mom?" I asked, much softer now.

"I need to go make a couple of phone calls." She said, then clicked away with her heels to the elevator. I couldn't help but stare at her as she left, what just happened? Then I ran over to the door to Kayley's room. They were shocking her, which mean her heart had either stopped or was going to be soon.

"Kayley…" I whispered, crying as she was shocked over and over.

"I have a pulse!" Foreman said after about the fifth shock, and then they put her on a respirator and left, the woman on the team helped me into the room and sat me down on a chair. She patted my shoulder and murmured a couple of words before leaving me alone with my best friend.

"Kayley…" I whispered, bringing my chair closer to her bed. I realized how exhausted I felt and laid my head down. I listened to the slow beep of her heart monitor and the soft sound of the respirator now shoved down her throat. I picked my head up once again and leaned back into the chair. Taking her hand and setting it in my lap before I closed my eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

~XxXxXxX~

"Rachel?" A whisper pounded into my eardrums. I felt numb, I couldn't even open my eyes to see the culprit of my waking, open my mouth to whisper a reply. "Rachel?" The whisperer said again, a bit louder this time. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and gently shake me awake. "Rachel? Are you okay?" The voice spoke again, ranging on a normal tone now.

"Hmm," I wasn't quite awake yet, but it was enough to let me reply. My eyes felt like they were glued shut, I couldn't move.

"Time to wake up," The voice sounded very happy with almost a singing tone to it. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't just yet. For a second I thought I was paralyzed, but the adrenaline that ran through my system and jolted me up told me otherwise. I almost head butted the woman in front of me in my sudden jump. She luckily had faster reflexes than most and leaned back. She cocked her head to the side, like she was suddenly very interested in me. She had eyes that looked so blue that they seemed unreal. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail and she didn't have a lap coat on. She was actually dressed in a pants suit, a white shirt with a navy jacket and matching pants. She smiled, a smile that any celebrity would die for and seemed almost animated in the way her face lit up when she smiled.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice was softer in my drowsy haze.

The woman giggled, jumping back to sit on the empty bed. Wait, the bed was _empty?_ "Where's Kayley?" I asked in alarm, jumping from my seat again. The woman simply giggled again, turning herself so she could get off the other side of the bed and over to the door.

I watched her intently as she slid open the door. She motioned for me to follow her and then scampered down the hallway. Thinking she knew where Kayley was, I quickly followed her. As I stepped into the hallway, it looked weird. Everybody in the room was slowed down and hazy, like they were ghost that were barely moving at all. I turned to back towards the way the woman had went so I could watch the ghostly figures as they slowly moved around.

I heard her giggle again, so I turned quickly toward it. She was headed for the stairs. I quickly jogged after her, careful not to hit any of the figures. I followed her down a lot of stairs, too many. But I didn't feel tired, I didn't feel out of breath. We got to the bottom floor and I followed her over to the clinic. They whole place was filled with the same ghostly figures, but many more of them. "What's going on?" I asked, looking over to the woman who was leaning against the door to my mother's office.

"Shh…" She put a finger to her lips and opened the first set of doors for me to step through. I did so, she motioned me on to the next. She obviously wasn't going to come with me. I opened the door and stepped inside, suddenly feeling as though I couldn't move. Or as if I was moving so slowly it was barely movement, like the figures we passed. I looked forward to my mom's desk where she sat. She looked normal, writing on a piece of paperwork like always. The phone rang, and she picked it up immediately.

"Hello?" She asked urgently, she was waiting for a phone call obviously. She sighed with a smile. She looked a bit annoyed but the smile told me that it was the person she had been waiting for. "Hello, Dr. House." She said in a very professional manner. "I called to speak about a patient, the one currently under the care of Dr. Foreman." There was a loud bang from the other side of the line and then a voice was yelling something into the phone. My mom looked like she went pale and her heart beat quickened, this obviously must have scared her. "Please. This is important House." She said, a strain in her voice could be heard. _House. Why does that name sound so familiar?_

~XxXxXxX~

I sat up and opened my eyes. I was still in Kayley's room, she was still asleep on the bed. It had only been a dream. I sighed, relieved. "Rachel?" My mom asked from the door, she looked like she had been standing there awhile. She waited for me to wake up.

"Yeah?" I asked, rubbing my eyes of the sleep still trying to claim me again.

"How're you doing?" She asked, walking over to me. She stood tall; her posture just screamed she wouldn't show any weakness to anyone.

"I'm fine." I said calmly. Then I thought about my dream. What if my subconscious was trying to tell me something, what if it was giving me real hints on what I should be watching out for? "Mom?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Yes?" She replied lifelessly. She looked distracted, something else was on her mind.

"Do you know anyone named Dr. House?" I asked, immediately feeling like an idiot for asking it. My mom looked at me in shock. She thought I was crazy, I could see it all over her face.

"How do you know him?" She asked. I could see right through her mask it seemed. She was scared, shocked, angry even.

"I heard something about him in… in a…" I felt so stupid, but I said it anyway. "In a dream, mom. You were on the phone with him, talking about a patient." I stood up, I wanted to be eye to eye with her for this.

"I was actually. He'll be coming in to look at Kayley's case." She said professionally. Her eyes were glassy, like she was trying not to cry.

"Mom…" I said, my eyebrows furrowed together in worry. I was really worried, why was my mom acting this way?

"Just leave it. He'll be here in the morning." She said, getting rid of any emotion she had before shown. She walked quickly out of the room and left without even shutting the door. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Maybe I should listen to my dreams more often.

~XxXxXxX~

**Woo! Got another one up.**

**I'm going to try to update this more quickly, but that might be an empty promise with school coming back soon.**

**R&R please!**

**Disclaimer; I still do not own House MD**


	3. Chapter 3

I stepped into the building with confidence. My mom had convinced me to go home and take a shower. I felt fresh and had a good breakfast in me, it was a new day. Hopefully with no more cardiac incidents with Kayley.

"Rachel!" My mom said, she actually sounded like she was happy to see me. She walked over with a painted-on smile and took my arm in her own. "I need to talk to you for a few minutes." She said, a little bit too happy, and dragged me over to the clinic and through to her office.

"Mom?" I asked, worried about her strange behavior.

"Dr. House is coming today." She said with a very different tone of voice. It almost sounded… Annoyed.

"Yeah, so what?" I asked, sitting myself down on the plush couch in her office.

"I want you spending as little time as possible with Dr. House and Dr. Foreman." She said simply, acting like there was nothing strange about staying away from doctors.

"Okay…" I said, a little confused and stood. I was ready to get out and see Kayley, along with ask some questions about Dr. House. I opened the door, ignored her saying something, and went out into the clinic.

It was packed full of people coughing and sniffling, as usual. But half of the nursing staff seemed to be absent, so it was more hectic than normal. I looked around for Megan, the girl I normally talked too about the hospital as of late. But she wasn't there. I looked to one of the other rushed nurses there, whose name tag read "Bobbin", and approached her.

"Where are all the nurses?" I asked her. She turned towards me with an annoyed look on her face. Then she shrugged and went back to what she was doing. _She sure is nice._ I sighed, determined to see Kayley before something else distracted me. I ran up the stairs, I had to stop and rest three times, and out into the hallway on floor 7. I saw Alex, the short, redhead, green eyed nurse I saw everytime I came up here. She motioned me over with a single finger, a surprised look on her face. I skipped over with a smile an looked over to where she was pointing.

"Dr. House is here, and talking with his old fellows!" She said excitedly, jumping up and down while she was giggling. I looked over. There was an older man with gray hair with his back facing me, Dr. Foreman, a taller man with long blond hair, and a short man who was balding on the top of his head. The two men I could see were wearing green scrubs, which usually ment surgery, and Foreman was in his lab coat. But the man with gray hair was wearing a sports jacket and jeans, and he used a cane. _Who are these people?_

"Which one is Dr. House?" I asked, mildly curious.

"The man with his back to us." She said, before sitting back down at her computer to work. I looked back over at them, it would be hard to get into Kayley's room without being seen by them. I ran around to the other side of the nurses station and hid around the corner. _If I make a run for it I could probably make it past them without incident. _So I backed up a bit and ran, taking a huge leap and probably jumping across half of the hallway.

I fell, face first, into Kayley's room with a loud _thud._ "OW." I cried, trying to sit up. My nose was in major pain, I rubbed it and saw it was bleeding.

"Rachel?" Kayley asked, sitting up in bed to look down at me.

"Hi." I said, my voice choked from the tears I was holding back. _God, this is embarassing._I finally turned so I could sit.

"Rachel? What did you just do?" I heard Foreman ask, I could hear him supressing a laugh.

"I'm fine." I said, still trying hard not to cry.

"Rachel? You mean Rachel Cuddy?" A heavy Australian accent called from outside the room. I turned to see the blond come back in the room. I just now noticed a tinge of gray on the sides of his face, showing his age. But his face looked surprisingly young. "Rachel, you've gotten so big."

"Uhh, thanks."I said awkwardly, tilting my head back to stop my nose from bleeding. None of the doctors in the room even seemed to notice. The Australian looked very familiar, he must have been at the hospital for a long time. The shorter doctor walked in, wondering what the commotion was about. But Dr. House stayed outside. I couldn't see him from this angle either.

"Rachel? Why are you tipping your head back like that and plugging your nose? Is it bleeding?" Kayley asked, watching from the bed.

"Yes it is." I said calmly, a single tear dripping out my eye.

"Oh!" The Australian said, coming over to help me up. "I'll help you fix that up." He said, taking my arm. He led me out of the arm, making sure I didn't run into anything while I stared at the ceiling. "Here, just sit on the counter and I will get something for you." He said. I jumped onto the counter, still staring at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, I felt large hands wrapping something around my nose. "Close your eyes." A gruff voice said, not at all like the Australians'. I obeyed and felt my head being pulled to normal level, and more pressure being put on my nose.

"Ow." I said, cringing.

"Sorry." The man murmured, not interested in apologizing appearantly. I felt something wrapped around my nose and didn't feel the warm blood anymore. A scratchy fabric wiped across my upper lip, cleaning away the blood that felt kind of crusted already. "You broke your nose. What were you thinking when you did that?" He asked, straightening the tape on my nose. My eyes were still closed, so I still didn't know who was talking to me. "You can open your eyes Rachel." He said, sounding annoyed.

I opened my eyes and immediately met a pair of bright blue eyes looking into my own. I studied the face that was in front of me. He looked so familiar, it was scary. I moved my hand a bit and hit wood, I looked down and saw a cane hanging on the counter. _Dr. House. _I thought and looked up with my mouth open in surprise. "D-Dr. House." I said softly, suddenly feeling shy.

"Hi Rachel." He said, watching me intently.

"Have we met before?" I asked, hoping I sounded a bit more confident than before.

"Yes," he said with a strained voice, "yes we have." His eyes glistened like he was holding back tears. He grabbed his cane and walked off, the three other doctors following behind him. I watched him go, confused. What just happened?

~XxXxXxX~

**Oh goodness, that wasn't as long as I had hoped. But I didn't want it to be all run on. Blahh.**

**Thanks to the one person who reviewed and thanks to all the people who have favorited and stuff! I really appreciate it.**

**I got this one out sooner, I worked hard. It's also 1 am so this might be a little weird sounding, I'll check it over again in the morning. **

**Review and alert, thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm alive and I have great news.**

**I actually decided to start giving a crap about this story again. *applause* So I have this, and chapter five in the works. I thought this was pretty long when I stopped writing but it doesn't look that long here. Sorry guys. Please read and please please please review with anything, whether bad or good, I just want imput. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D., Kindle, or iPod trademarks. But you all really should listen to the Regina Spektor song that I always listen to when I'm writing.**

**~XxXxXxX~**

After having my nose checked over repeatedly by my mother, I finally got back in to see Kayley. She squeezed her mouth shut but said through it, "I like your bandages."

"Shut up!" I yelled back at her while laughing, which hurt my nose. "But you want to know what? I met Dr. House!" I sat back down next to her bed with giggles.

"Really? When exactly did this happen darling," she asked with a small smile of knowing and leaned forward. "The only time I've been away from you was for a little while you went home and then just now when you fell on your face!"

"He just put on these bandages!" I know that we sounded like little teenage girls but that's what we do, we act like idiots for fun. Doesn't everyone have a friend like that? "He said that we had met before and then he just walked off."

"Did you think of asking your mom what he meant?"

"The last thing I need is to involve my mom in this," I groaned, leaning back with a huff.

"Your mom isn't that bad you know."

"You weren't raised by her."

"You know I might as well have been," she added. I sighed with defeat and picked up my Kindle Fire that was placed on the table next to me. My mother had acted like Kayley was her daughter from the first time they met; my mom always had preferred the company of girls over men. "What are they doing now?"

I actually had no idea but I gave her an answer anyway, "probably in his office brainstorming."

"Why don't you go check?" I got up with a groan of _'I'm lazy so why are you making me do this,'_ and trudged out of the room. I really didn't mind going to see what they were doing (I was rather curious) but I couldn't let her know that. She thought I was still miserable being in my mom's own hospital which was true, I still could barely stand my mother. Dr. House though… he did hold a bit of my interest. Then I remembered.

_The man with the limp from the elevator!_

Hadn't my mom said something about House not being here? Then why was he there then? Coming to see Foreman? Now that was interesting.

Walking out into the hallway in thought, I was surprised when a nurse pulled me behind the desk and sat me down. Alex put one hand on each of my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. "What did your mom say about staying away from Dr. House?"

"She is not the boss of me," I replied and pushed her away from me.

"She kinda is but even if she's not the boss of you, she's the boss of me and she told me to keep you away from House," she turned the rolling chair around and pushed me back into Kayley's room and sent me spinning into the wall. She then closed the sliding glass door and walked off with a swish of her auburn hair.

"What just happened?" Kayley sounded far off like she was drugged, I had only been away from her for a minute but something had changed.

"Kayley, is everything okay?" Her head lulled to the side and her eyes closed. I jumped up, leaning her bed back and holding a hand to her forehead. She didn't have a temperature and I had never seen something like this in my training. "Alex!" I practically screamed into the hallway. She came running in and did the same thing I did before picking up the phone with her lighting quick hands.

"Page Dr. Foreman right now," she had a certain tone in her voice and you could tell that even though it was a bad situation, she really was enjoying it. Not Kayley's pain, but the being rushed and someone needing help that only she could provide.

I took Kayley's hand and sat down before my knees gave way from underneath me. "What's wrong with her?" I couldn't even place the emotion that laced my voice, I didn't know what it was.

"Leave that to Dr. Foreman."

~XxXxXxX~

_You spent half of your life trying to fall behind__  
><em>_You're using your headphones to drown out your mind__  
><em>_It was so easy and the words so sweet__  
><em>_You can't remember you try to move your feet_

_Eet eet eet eet_

The sweet sound of Regina Spektor's _Eet_ filled my ears as I stared at the door to Wilson's office. I was doing as the song said, using my headphones to drown out my mind. It wasn't working as well as I had hoped for my mind still raced a mile a minute with worries and memories and heartbreak.

They had kicked me out of Kayley's room shortly after Dr. House and his team arrived. They told me they were rushing her to the Intensive Care Unit and that I wouldn't be allowed in for a long time. I didn't exactly go out peacefully, in fact I had to be pulled out of her room kicking and screaming, but they sat me in Wilson's room with my iPod and my Kindle and told me to stay put. Surprisingly, I had actually listened. I'm not sure if it was the calming effect in Wilson's voice when they sat me down or just the way he left me alone even though it was his office.

The only bad part about being held captive in Wilson's office was that it was so close to Foreman/House's office and I could hear a tapping on the wall, like they were just trying to get me up and in there. But I was stronger than that, more stubborn than that. If they were trying to show my curiosity is my downfall, I'll show them.

After ten minutes of sitting there triumphantly, I realize that I was kidding myself the entire time. I laid down with a groan and closed my eyes.

A few hours later, Wilson was shaking me awake. I sat upright, tense and prepared to scream, before I realized I had fallen asleep without knowing it. In made an 'Oh' sound and rested my hand against my forehead while laying back down. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry, but you can see Kayley now."

"Really? How long has I have I been asleep?"

"I have no idea when you fell asleep, but it's about one in the morning," he said with a quick look at his wrist watch. He looked so tired and it made me just want to hug him like a teddy bear. So I did with joy in my heart.

The hug was short and sweet, just as I had hoped, because I had a best friend to go and see, which I did immediately after kissing Wilson on the cheek.

The walk there was uneventful and everything was surprisingly quiet for an ICU. But I had one goal in this horrible smelling place, making sure Kayley is being cared for.

What I walked in on was more than I would have hoped to expect.


	5. Chapter 5

I walked in my mother and Dr. House embraced in a hug I'd never seen my mother give. The kind of hug a girlfriend gave to her boyfriend after something sad happened. The only thing I could mutter was, "Hello?"

"Oh, Rachel! Hi," my mom backed away from Dr. House quickly, like a teenager caught with a boy by her mother. Oh, how times change.

"Hi? What's going on?"

"Nothing sweetie, just catching up with Dr. House," House wouldn't even look at me, which only made me want to know even more about what was going on.

"What about you, Dr. House? What do you have to say for yourself?" I tried to sound as stern as my mother whenever she scolded me about my life choices.

House looked at her with a smirk, "You're just like your mother."

"I am nothing like my mom!" I said quickly, refusing to believe it was true.

"Yeah you are, exactly like her. Especially when she was your age, when we met in medical school. You even look the same." He sat in one of the chairs by the bed, rubbing his right thigh. That's when I remembered.

"The car, the hospital, you hurt your leg and we had to come get you in the middle of the night," I furrowed my eyebrows together, the memory confused me. "I wrote you a letter with mom. The cartoon with the pirate!" I watched him, he looked as if he started to remember it all too.

"Yes, that was all me," he sighed, leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes. He looked much older, his hair almost completely graying and his skin sagged around his bright blue eyes. It made him look like a sad, old dog in pain that just wanted to sleep until he didn't wake up. I felt like my heart was going to explode just looking at him, the old genius with the sad eyes.

"What happened?" He simply shook his head and looked at my mom.

"I think it's time we left," her eyes were glistening with tear from the encounter, "Dr. House has a lot of work to do." She clicked out of the room on her high heels, tucking her still colored hair behind her ear. House followed after her without even glancing at me again. I went to Kayley's bedside and took her hand, she was still fast asleep.

~XxXxXxX~

I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head on them. This larger, more comfortable chair had been moved to Kayley's bedside for me to sit in. I was rather cold and had slipped on a pair of thick socks under my jeans and a jacket over my white blouse. I watched Kayley sleep, her chest moving up and down with her slow and steady breathing. She was really tired after the commotion today with the ICU, so I let her sleep. Standing, I silently crept over to the door and looked out into the hallway. Dr. House and his team were no where to be found. I stepped out, still sliding on my socks, and decided to go see my mom. I hadn't even told her about the broken nose yet, not with all of the commotion with Dr. House earlier. I called the elevator and leaned against the wall next to the huge door. I closed my eyes and saw the very bright blue eyes that had looked into mine only a few hours before. Dr. House had very nice eyes, but there was something hidden behind them, something he wasn't telling me. I hoped my mom had the answers, but I also really wished she wouldn't.

I thought of some pretty deep stuff on my way to her office. Some of it made no sense, some of it made all the sense in the world. But none of it seemed to apply to _House._ The unknown source, the wizard. I found myself pushing the button to the floor of his office instead of the ground floor where my mother resisded. "What are you doing?" I said outloud to myself, but I still clicked that button and headed down.

I closed my eyes as the doors slid open slowly, wondering what I had been expecting to hide from. I opened my eyes but there was no one there, the hallway was empty. I slid out like I was on skates. Instead of heading for House's office, I went for Wilson's. I knew he wouldn't be there at this hour, it was about three am, but I still wanted to be in his office. It felt more familiar, I had been here so many times before and even as a little girl. I can remember one stormy night when I was sitting on the couch, looking through to the outside world where everything seemed so depressing. I don't remember much, but I remember seeing a figure moving in the other side. It was large, a man. Something tells me now that that night was House's last day in the hospital, I don't know why.

"What are you doing here?" Foreman was standing in the doorway, staring at me.

"I don't know," I whispered. I felt like talking would make my world shake and crumble, it all seemed so sensitive.

Foreman sighed, holding out his hand. "Come here."

Confused and curious, I took the hand and let him take me to where he wanted. We walked right past House's empty office, the door now read _"Eric Foreman Department Head of Diagnostic Medicine."_ I wondered how long House had been gone before they changed that door.

"I hope you aren't afraid by this."

"Afraid by what?"

"Her. One of the best doctors I've ever known."

"Why would I be afraid?" I asked with confusion, but noticed we were heading towards the experimental treatment floor.

"No reason." He sounded calm and composed, trying to act like nothing in the world could effect him. Something told me he wasn't telling me everything, but I didn't dare accuse him of lying.

"What is she going to help me with?"

He sighed, opening the door with a soft creak as we walked into the ward. "She knows a lot about House, they spend a lot of time together now."

"Who is she?" I asked, I wanted to know as much as I could before we got to where ever we were going.

"Her name is Dr. Remy Hadley, she was one of House's fellows alongside me, Dr. Chase, and Dr. Taub."

_Remy Hadley_, I thought with presistance, _who on earth could this woman be? _But I didn't have to think long, because we were quickly approaching her room. "In here," he pointed to the door left slightly open.

"Aren't you coming with me?" I asked, I didn't know who this Dr. Hadley was and I wasn't sure I wanted to face her alone.

"No, she doesn't want me in her room anymore," he turned quickly and walked away, his shoes made a small clicking noise in the empty hallway. I turned to face the door and set my shoulders, I wanted to walk in strong and stay that way.

"Dr. Hadley?" I called as I inched the door open, "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a bit."

"I'm back here," a woman's voice called from behind a curtain, it sounded strangely familiar, but I had never met Dr. Hadley before. I pulled back a curtain and on a bed before me lay a mid-30's woman with an IV running into her arm, she had black hair tied back in a ponytail.

"I-I'm Rachel," I studdered, she looked exactly like the woman in my dream the first night Kayley was brought here.

"Rachel Cuddy?" She asked with a smile, opening her eyes again. They were a bluish green and looked clouded over, the kind of thing you would see with a person on certain types of medicine.

I sat down in the chair placed by her bed, "Yeah, that's me."

"Never expected you to come in here and see me," her arm shook slightly, but she closed her eyes and the shaking stopped.

"I had a dream and you were in it," I blurted out before I could stop myself, I threw a hand over my mouth before I could say anything else.

She chuckled, opening her eyes again. "Did you really? I never would have thought you would remember me. The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl." She paused and licked her dry lips, like she was trying to come up with something to say. "Why are you here?"

"Dr. Foreman said I should see you, that you spend a lot of time with House?"

"Ah, House. He told me that he was back in the hospital, treating some girl that Cuddy said was important." She continued before I had a chance to tell her who Kayley was, "he sure is something isn't he." She smiled and stared at something on the ceiling.

"How do I know House?" I asked softly, half hoping she wouldn't hear me.

"I can tell you he was a very important doctor here. He was also a very important person in your life," she said slowly, chosing her words carefully. "He was in a relationship with your mom when you were little so he spent a lot of time with you." Her eyes closed again and she cleared her throat. She looked like she was in pain.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly, moving the chair closer to the bed.

She slowly blinked her eyes open, "I'm just tired, ready for this all to be over."

"You mean the medicine? I know it can be hard but-"

"Not the medicine," she interrupted, "I'm ready for all of my suffering to be over, for my life to be over."

I gawked at her, my arms falling uselessly to my sides. "What are you talking about? I'm sure you're going to be fine!" I grabbed the chart at the end of her bed with a overly excited smile on my face, which faded as soon as I saw what was wrong with her. "Huntington's…" my voice trailed off. Huntington's is a death sentence even with treatment. "But you still have plenly of years left! You're only 37!" I said, this woman was my only ticket to the truth, the only one who would tell me the truth.

She sat up and smiled at me, "You're right Rachel. I get to spend my plenty of years left in this hospital bed."

I was at a loss for words, what on earth could I tell this woman to make her feel better? Nothing, so I leaned back and shut my mouth before I said something else. She leaned back as well, closing her eyes again. "I'll let you sleep," I said quietly and stood. She caught my arm with a shaky hand and held it.

"Tell Dr. House I want to see him, face to face," she said and let her arm drop again, which I took as my que to leave.

"I will," I whispered before closing the curtain surrounding her bed again. I walked out into the hallway and closed the door, leaning my back against it and softly hitting my head. _What am I supposed to do now? _I slid out of the ward in my socks and headed for the glass door with Dr. Foreman's name on it.

My excuse would be Remy wanted to see House, but really, I just wanted to see House. I knocked, pushing the door slightly but it quickly stopped. _Of course it's locked_, I thought and hit the door with my fist. I moved over to the other side of the office but no one was in that room either. _Where on earth could they be?_ _Foreman was just here!_ I shook off my anger and walked over to the elevator.

"Rachel!" I turned around and saw Dr. Chase walking towards me. "Your friend Kayley wants to see you, I'll walk you down."

Quickly reduced to the little school girl I am, I nodded and looked down at my shoes to hide my reddening face. He motioned to the elevator and I followed him through the heavy metal doors, still hiding my face as much as possible. I looked up and pressed the seven button to Kaylee's floor. Both of us standing in silence as the elevator ascended to the floor, but then it stopped. Then the lights went out.

They were trapped in an elevator.

~XxXxXxX~

**It's a pain to write stories at all now because my w, 1, and 2 keys don't work. I always have to copy and paste and it becomes a hassle. Thanks for reading, please review if you have sugesstions or you want to ask a question, I'm open to anything.**

**It might be a bit longer to update again, I have a pretty busy week ahead of me so I don't kno****w if I'll have much time to write. Sorry again and see you soon!**


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